Completely Unrelated
by ulquiorrii
Summary: your moments with echizen.  drabbles   *i wonder how i got this title?*
1. Distraction

_Distraction_

It has always been a strange habit of his; watching you secretly in class. In gym class, he would always find himself looking to your direction, watching you as you play with some girls or even when you're just sitting in the corner. He would always watch you when you walk alone to and from the school building. In the library, while other girls would be busy gossiping or talking about what's what, he'd be watching you; hunched back on some book you're reading at the far end of the table. He would always find himself staring at you, then eventually, wondering about what's going on in your head.

In the end, he'd just look away, thinking why on earth he's doing this. Why would he keep on staring at you for no reason, when you never even cared or even bothered to look at his direction?

There was that one time during club practice. It was one of his favourite times of the day. Of course, he never gets to see you during practice, so perhaps that's why he instantly looked up when he heard Horio yell your name.

"[Your name], what brings you here?" He said aloud as he slaps your back, running toward the sidelines with a wide smile across his face. He missed a ball at that instant.

"I just want to watch your tennis club's practice, that's all." You shrugged.

All the while, Ryoma just kept on glancing at you, as you stood beside Sakuno and made occasional small talks with Tomoko. He never really got to play properly that afternoon.


	2. In Your Eyes

_In Your Eyes_

You met Ryoma at the cafeteria on your first day. The entire area was crowded with students, and being a transferee, you still didn't have friends. You looked around for a vacant table, and that was when you noticed him sitting all by himself.

You walked towards him, food tray in hand. "Mind if I sit here?" You seemed to have interrupted his thoughts.

Ryoma looked up to see a pale girl with dark wavy hair falling past her shoulders, and a set of the deepest, emerald eyes he's ever seen. You were holding onto your tray of pickles and vegetable salad. You smiled faintly when he saw you, motioning to the empty chair opposite him, "The cafeteria's too full."

He raised his _Ponta _to his mouth and took a sip. You watched as his throat bobbed up and down. "I don't mind," he finally said, looking at you with a surprisingly penetrating gaze. You noticed his eyes were gold.

"Thanks."

He was never really one of those guys who would make you uncomfortable by staring at you or anything, so maybe that's why you still shared a table with him the next day. And the next. And the following week. Eventually, you found it becoming somewhat of a routine for you two. It's not like you really had a choice. And he doesn't really seem to mind at all. Sharing a table with him was actually like having a table all for yourself; it was like you were all alone. But you never complained, nor cared. You never really wanted to talk, and neither does he. There was that small talk, occasionally, but it was just that.

Perhaps that's why you too got along pretty well.


	3. Unwell

_Unwell_

"Are you alright?"

You tilted your head slightly to see whom that faint voice belonged to. It was Ryoma. There could be no mistaking for those golden eyes. He was leaning on the desk next to yours, his hands on his pockets. That was when you realized you have fallen asleep on your table; hunched back with your head resting on your forearms.

"I-I'm fine," You croaked out and pushed yourself off the table, though your head was throbbing and the world seemed to be spinning. You managed to hold your head with your hand and rest your elbow on the edge of the table.

"You look . . . sick." His voice was deadpan, like he doesn't really care; though the look in his eyes made you somewhat _think_ otherwise. _Or perhaps _hope_._ You looked at him weakly and you studied his face. It's got its usual neutral expression, and he doesn't seem to be bothered of your staring at him. You just sighed and closed your eyes, hoping that your headache would just subside. You really don't want anybody, especially him, seeing you in such a state.

"Ryoma, you'll be late for club practice!" You heard somebody call him. Must've been Horio.

"I'll be there. Just a minute," He trailed off, and then you suddenly felt warm hands on your forehead. You looked up at him, surprised.

"You'll be . . . late . . . for practice, Echizen,"

"It will never go away if you stay here," he said, removing his hand from your forehead. You just stared at him.

"You should go to the clinic, that's what I said," he sighed impatiently. He probably noticed your quizzical expression.

You looked into his eyes and tried on your most intimidating expression ever, though of course, with that kind of head ache, all you managed was an irritated frown. He snorted when you looked away, and you knew there was no way you could argue out of this with someone as hard-headed as him. You slowly got up and picked your bag up. With that, you left, holding on to the wall as you walked by.

_Why'd he do that? _

You remembered asking yourself at the clinic room, as you rested your head and had the most comfortable sleep you've had in your life.


	4. Eating Patterns

_Eating Patterns_

It's been quite a while now, and Ryoma's been quite famous around school because of his tennis skills, while _you _became his unofficial lunch partner during lunch breaks. Ryoma doesn't seem to be bothered with having you during lunch breaks though, and you were quite grateful with that. At least, you didn't have to explain to him that you move so slow after last period, that by the time you reach the cafeteria, it was already full of students and there isn't any vacant seats left for you. There seemed to be a silent agreement between you two. Both of you minded your own businesses, and it was enough to keep the peace going.

It was one of those silent lunch breaks you had with him. During those short, temporary moments you spent with Ryoma, you did notice some things about him, like, his favourite drink is _Ponta_, and he never seem to fail to buy one during lunchtime. At some point when you two started eating together, you noticed him gradually having some eating patterns, or something. He started eating vegetables, and by the following week he was drinking milk. You thought it strange. You suddenly missed his drinking _Ponta_, for some reason.

So, that noon, you decided to buy and drink one can. You've always wondered what got him addicted to the soda, so you tried one for your own.

You sat quietly opposite him, and you didn't fail to notice when his eyes flickered to the soda on your tray. He had that annoying, dismissive look on again.

Well, you'll show him. If he doesn't get to drink his favourite drink, well now you will. You'll drive him with envy.

You opened the can up and savored the scent of the carbonated drink. You raised it to your mouth and in slow steady gulps you took some sip of the soda. It didn't really taste anything special. In fact, you didn't actually find it . . . good. It tasted bad. Really, really bad.

_Yuck_, you thought to yourself.

You tried so hard to hide the frown on your face, and you realized with a dreadful expression that Ryoma was trying so hard to suppress a smile. He was having fun at your expense.

You rolled your eyes and put the _Ponta _aside, albeit harshly. You were sure that that would definitely be the last time you'd ever drink that dreadful soda.


	5. Of Cabbages and Sandwiches

_Of Cabbages and Sandwiches_

Along with Ryoma's ever-growing fame, grew his fan club. You knew it was inevitable. He was cool anyway, and you knew nobody could resist those golden eyes. Was it just his golden eyes? You shook your head and grumble at yourself.

There would be girls in your classroom door every day. Sometimes, if you're lucky, there wouldn't be any, but then that would be, like, once every full moon. Sometimes, they would take pictures. Stolen shots. And Ryoma would just be sitting on his desk, hands under his chin, looking bored as usual.

And the girls would just squeal. Candid, they'd say. You didn't know if Ryoma didn't really cared, or if he was already posing for the cameras.

At times, when you were really unlucky, there'd be girls who'd come over your lunch table. They'd ask for autographs, and sometimes, to your irritation, they'd even conduct some lame interview which would usually start with them squealing their heads off and end with you stomping out of the table irritated, having a not-so-nice lunch. _Some interviews._

During those times, Ryoma seemed to notice your irritation, or maybe he felt the same way you did, as well. You just hope so. It kinda got annoying, seeing him surrounded by stupid girls. And why were you so irritated, again?

You don't complain, though. You were the one sharing the table with him, anyway. If you didn't like it, then you better look for another lunch table. You didn't want to seem like a hypocrite when you suddenly explode and yell at those girls, so you did just that.

The next day, you fixed your things fast after last period and raced to the cafeteria with the other students. You were among the first ones, and were so glad to have found a table all for yourself. Well, you felt alone during lunch time even with Ryoma before, but then technically, you weren't alone, and you liked being alone. Solitude's been your favourite company even before—no matter how contradicting that may sound—and you just want to savor the moment, to feel the emptiness around.

_No, you don't miss him, _you told yourself, however. Why would you, anyway? And even then, he still had those silly girls around him, so he probably won't be feeling the same way. Tsk, big deal.

No, this is silly. You should go back and sit with him. He might wonder why you weren't with him today. Maybe he'd think that you're mad or something. Maybe he'd think that you're pissed off at him.

_No_. You shake your head. _Don't be silly, he'd never care. _You were just some random girl who sat with him during lunch break. And he never even bothered talking to you, so why would he even bother wondering why you sat away from him today.

And why would you care if he cares, anyway? Or if he even thinks that you're mad? Or of what he thinks, of all things? And why are you even thinking about him right now. You should be having a quiet time. You should be free of these stressful thoughts, now that you're all alone.

"Can I sit here?"

You looked up and met those unmistakable golden eyes. You blinked twice, before nodding off towards the opposite chair. You looked down at your tray, and suddenly found those green cabbages interesting. You'd always hated cabbages, so it's always been a wonder why you always pick some during lunch.

"Wouldn't this be your first time not eating on your usual table?" You asked.

He was fixing a sandwich for himself, "Yeah, seems like it."

You suddenly wondered why he came all the way here from the opposite end of the cafeteria. It wouldn't have anything to do with you, for that you're sure. You kept on glancing at him from under your bangs. What's it with this guy?

"You know, I'd start asking you for money if you keep on doing that," He suddenly said without looking at you.

You were caught off guard. For a second, you gaped at him, "Doing what?"

He took a gulp from his milk before looking at you, "Staring."

You raised your eyebrows and felt yourself blush. You suddenly felt fidgety and you just cleared your throat, "I am _not _staring at _you_." You made sure to put emphasis on the word _you._

You looked up and saw him eating his sandwich up; a hint of a smile on his face, "If 'ya say so."

A short silence enveloped you two, before you finally blurted out the question bugging you, "Why are you here, anyway?"

He stopped what he's doing and put his sandwich down, "You don't want me sharing a table with you?"

"No," You shut your mouth tight. Maybe you replied too fast. "I mean," you sighed and fiddled with your cabbage, again, "I guess, I was just used to seeing you eat on your usual table. It's just, weird, having you here . . ."

He finished his sandwich and made himself another one. He put some lettuce and some onions. He pushed the cabbages aside. Does he despise cabbages the same way you do?

"It was starting to get noisy over there. Lots of _girls_," He rolled his eyes at the word 'girls'. "How about you, why are you here?"

You shrugged, "Same reason."

"Thought so," he said. He doesn't seem to run out of sandwiches.

You plucked on a cabbage with your fork, and ate it. _Eew_. What were you thinking suddenly eating cabbage? You momentarily wanted to just slap yourself hard. "It wasn't as peaceful anymore. They all love to squeal."

He smirked, "Yeah, it kinda gets irritating, once in a while."

You didn't look at him when you smiled, "And I was thinking you were enjoying it."

He looked at you, like you w_ere _the strange one, "What made you thought so?"

You shrugged, "I don't know. Well, you never drive them away."

He snorted, before taking a gulp from his milk again, "I guess I would have, if I got the chance. Can't you notice I was looking bored?"

"Oh yeah, I kinda notice that," You giggled softly when you saw him smile. Not that sweet smile. It was some sort of a bored grin. Oh well. "Well, I thought you already looked like that, even without the girls. So, I didn't realize you were getting irritated of them."

"I do?" he asked, not quite believing you, "I didn't know that."

"Hey, isn't this the first time we had some real conversation?" You suddenly asked, looking straight at him.

He just stared at you, "What do you mean _real_?"

"You don't really talk to me when we get to sit together during lunch. I guess all we had had were some short conversations, some small talks about the weather, or some random stuff. I don't know, perhaps talking to you just sounded . . ." you looked up at him, noticing his eyes boring into you. Have you said too much? ". . . new."

He chuckled. It was one of those strange moments you'd had with somebody, when you discover something new about them. Then you two did something unthinkable. You both laugh. It wasn't some loud laughter which ended with some awkward silence. As soon as the last bit of laughter died you two would just look at each other. One look at each of your face's restrained smiles and it would once again start another round of silly laughter. In between those laughs, you two exchanged funny remarks about some of those girls who'd frequently follow him around. You spent the entire lunch break bashing them. It was a silly moment, and you just wanted it to last.

From that time on, you weren't sure if he was what you'd call a friend. But you were certain that you two shared something deep. Something only you two know. Something that draws him closer to you, without you knowing it for yourself.


End file.
